Our final VKFF park activation for Monday, the 4th day of May 2026, was River Murray Reserve VKFF-4147.

Above: Map showing the location of River Murray Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps

The section of the reserve we activated was near the Hume Lake Dam.

Above: the boundaries at River Murray Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth

The reserve is about 1,5041 hectares and consists of numerous sections of land along the Murray River. It stretches from near Mildura along the Murray to east of Albury.

Chris and I accessed the park via Bonegilla Road. We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3TWO/M
2. VK3WSG
3. VK5DW
4. VK2EXA
5. VK3SQ
6. VK3JT
7. VK2BD
8. VK3MRT
9. VK5PL
10. VK3CLD
11. VK5QA
12. VK2DBF
13. VK3GJG
14. VK3TAZ
15. VK7EV/M
16. VK1HF
17. VK3ZSC
18. VK3BSC
19. VK2MOE
20. VK1MO
21. VK1GM
22. VK2ETI
23. VK3TDK
24. VK3NYC
25. VK3KRL
26. VK1AO/P (VKFF-4631)
27. VK2MET/P (VKFF-4631)
28. VK1AD
29. VK1CHW
30. VK2CHW
31. VK3CEO
32. VK2IO/P (VKFF-4551)
33. VK2GEZ/P (VKFF-4551)
34. VK2LAX
35. VK3SMW
36. VK2VW
37. VK2HFI
38. VK2AKA
39. VK2BUG

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK3PF (VCKFF-5582)
2. VK3KAI
3. VK2VW
4. VK2HFI
5. VK2AKA
6. VK2BUG
7. VK5BJE
8. VK3SMW
9. VK3MCK

After successfully activating the park, we headed over the Murray River over the Heywood Bridge, from Victoria into New South Wales. We drove into the little town of Lake Hume Village to view Lake Hume.

The Hume Dam was constructed over 17 years, between 1919 and 1936. The dam wall height is 51 metres (167 feet) and it is 1,615 metres (5,299 feet) in length. Lake Hume’s total capacity is 3,036,500 ML. (Wikipedia 2021)

Chris and I then headed towards Tooleybuc, where we had booked in to stay for one night. We travelled west on the Riverina Highway. We stopped briefly for me to take a photograph of the Lowesdale School. Some of my family members attended here back in the early 1900s.

A little further up the road is the old Burraja Hotel. Burraja is an Aboriginal name meaning ‘a swamp with young trees growing.’

The current building was built in 1911/1912 on behalf of the licensee, Mr. S.R.E. Loveridge. The hotel was opened in 1912 and was delicensed in 1999. (WIkipedia 2026)

Above: article from The Corowa Free Press, Tue 26 Sept 1911. Image c/o Trove

We continued on to the town of Berrigan ,which was proclaimed on the 31st day of May 1890. (Wikipedia 2024)

One of the historic buildings in Berrigan is the Federal Hotel, which was built in 1915. It replaced a previous hotel that was destroyed by fire in September 1914. (Facebook 2026)

The town’s 80-year-old water tower underwent a transformation in 2025, with magnificent artwork being painted on the water tower by artist Alex Sugar.

We continued on our journey towards Tooleybuc, encountering wildlife and cattle on the road along the way.

We also drove into a storm and torrential rain, which eventually moved off to the northeast.

We eventually reached Tooleybuc and booked into our accommodation at the Tooleybuc Motel. Wow, what a room. There was certainly no shortage of room.

Chris and I then walked next door to the Country Club Hotel and enjoyed a magnificent meal and some cleansing ales.

After dinner, Chris and I walked a short distance down to the park alongside the Murray River to view the ‘Gathering the Bounty’ sculpture, which is the work of Stuart Green. The sculpture is about 11 metres tall and features a giant human figure, representing the Murray River, harvesting the fruits of the region’s natural gifts and human industry. (Dairy News Australia 2024)

It was time to retire for the evening and get a good night’s sleep with a big trip back home the following day.

References.

1. Dairy News Australia. (2024). River Country Art Trail designs chosen. [online] Available at: https://www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au/news/art-trail-one-step-closer-as-pieces-selected/ [Accessed 14 May 2026].‌
2. Facebook.com. (2026). Explored Visions by GD. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/exploredvisions. [Accessed 14 May 2026]
3. ‌Wikipedia. (2021). Hume Dam. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hume_Dam. [Accessed 14 May 2026]‌
4. Wikipedia Contributors (2026). Buraja. Wikipedia.‌
5. Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Berrigan. Wikipedia.‌